In the name of God Amen I William Musson of Beeby in the county of Leicester Yeoman being in reasonable good health both body and of good and perfect mind and memory (praise be to God therefore) do make and ordain this my last will and testament in manner and form following (that is to say)
First I give and resign my soul up to the hands of almighty God the grace it me assuredly been loving and hasting to my everlasting life by eth[?] the alone merit fair year & my dear and perfect Jesus my Redeemer Lord and saviour and by vow made for something that few my body I commit to the earth whence it came to be decently buryed after my decease and by my loving wife and by my executor hereafter named
And as concerning my temporal estate I do give a give and dispose thereof as hereafter [stated] (that is to say)
Whereas I have lately entered into obligations to my brother in law Mr Thomas Fox to pay the sum & 20 pounds to my loving wife or to person or persons as he shall direct and appoint at such times as in the condition [ ? ] an obligation is [ ? ] My will is that my executor do make payment of the said sum of 20 pounds accordingly
Also I do give unto my said loving wife all and each such household goods which were hers before my marriage with her and the sum of £5 more in my pay unto her at the end of one year next after my decease
Also I give to my niece Dorothy Musson the daughter of my brother Robert Musson the sum of £20 and to my niece Joan and any other daughters of my said brother Robert Musson the daughter of my brother Thomas Musson the sum of twenty pounds to be paid at the end of one years next after my decease
Also I give unto my nephew Thomas Ellyott the sum of twenty pounds to be paid at the end of one year next after my decease, provided my said nephew does at or before that time pay satisfy all such moneys which [note] sums bound for, which with my brother-in-law Richard Wright curate my said nephew upon agreement with the said Richard Wright hath undertaken to satisfy, [?] [note?] do, or will all hereafter sums bound for with and on the behalf of my said nephew himself, and provided after my said nephew do upon the payment of these so 20 pounds give unto my executor such goods sufficient & legal discharge & release for all their reckonings accompts & demands [thalsared], excepting only what shall be [musewore] due unto him by virtue of this my will, as per my said executor or his [?] learned in the law will reasonably advise and require, thiswise his said legacy of twenty pounds to be paid & not to begiven unto him
Also I give to my cousin John Sketchley and Mary Sketchley the children of my niece Mary (late Mary Healy) each of them the sum of five pounds to be paid unto them at their respective ages of one and twenty years
Also my will is that my executor shall at the end of each these monies [snorts?] month next after my decease, for & during the [natural] life of my sister Sara Flight, pay unto my [suchvisess] & her after named or the survivor of them the sum of six shillings, to be given by my said surgvisess unto my said sister as they inherit disraenunt shall then be meet & fit, and after the descease of my said sister the same to cease & be no more paid
Also I give any one of the children of my brother-in-law Mr Thomas Fox five shillings & to the children of my brother-in-law John Coatt the sum of twenty shillings to be equally divided amongst them, and to my cousins Anne Fox and Elizabeth Fox the children of my brother in law William Fox deceased each of them the sum of ten shillings, and to the children of my cousin Mr Thomas Laurence the of twenty shillings equally to be divided amongst them, & to John Goddard the son of my cousin Joseph Goddard twenty shillings, and to the poor of Beeby [afreted] ten shillings to be distributed by my loving wife & my executor at their discernment
Also I give to my good friends Mr Kestin, Mr Matthew Clarke, Mr Crosse & Mr Smith of Dissworth (non-conformist minister) each of then the sum of twenty shillings
Also I give to my cousin George Ellyott the sum of four pounds to be paid at the end of one year next after my decease
Of each paid legacy the sum of thirty and three shillings [?] which any my remaining upon abound aherited sums is to be accompted as gold
All and singular the aforesaid legacies my will is that my executor do pay and satisfy out of my goods & personal estate
And wherever in and by ordinance [furniture] [kinglike] bearing my date the seventeenth day of November Anno Domini 1677 and in the nine and twentieth year of the reign of his majesty that now is I have setted & consigned all my lands and tenements to such else & hereditaments as are herein heritted expressed & declared yet under [????] in myself by my last will and testament or any other deed or writing and my hand & seal subscribed seals & declares in the [?] of these or more [?] witnesses to give away direct and appoint what sum or sums of money I shall please out of the same & to [rehat] the sum and the sums I shall thrive fitt, I do these free hereby give and will and appoint that out of my said lands and tenements shall paid unto my nieces aforesaid daughters of my brother Robte Musson and unto my said niece Sara the daughter of my said brother Thomas Musson & unto my nephew Thomas Ellyot, and unto my said cousins John Sketchley and Mary Sketchley or to the many assigns as shall be living at the end of one year next after the decease of the longer lived of the said William Musson and Elizabeth my said loving wife, the sum of threescore pounds of lawful English money equally amongst them, to be paid to them at the end of the said one year next after the decease of the longer lived of me and my wife as aforesaid
The with said sum of threescore pounds due to be had out of my aforesaid lands
I devise my great friends Mr John Tilke & my cousin John Goddard being trustees appointed for the purpose by the said recited heretofore to be paid and satisfied accordingly.
All the rest and residue of my goods cattles chattels and before hereby given bequeathed, my debts, legacies before hereby appointed to be paid out of this same being first satisfied and my funds all discharged I give and bequeath unto my said loving brother Robert Musson, and I do nominate ordain and appoint him to be the sole full executor of this my last will and testament
And I do appoint and devise my said cousin John Goddard and George Ellyot to be the supervisors of this my will and do give unto each of them a pair of gloves
And I do hereby renounce & revoke all former wills and declare this to be my last will & testament
And in testimony I [?] of the said William Musson have hereunto set my hand and seal dated the nine & twentieth day of September [Latin version referring to Charles II] 1679
Will. Musson [Seal]
Signed sealed and published in the presence of ...
Thomas Stone
John Tambowhine of Gildby
Geo: Ellyot
Probatus Quinto dei Martij Ano Dni 1686 - Curare Magus [?] Fox Clere [?] erat Tho Stephens Richard Comessaing et [?] et Robert Mussons [?]